This invention relates to a printed circuit board management system, and more particularly to a system for determining the revision history of a number of printed circuit boards.
In a computer system that executes prescribed functions using a number of printed circuit boards of a variety of types, the circuit boards are frequently revised in order to improve or update their performance.
If some printed circuit boards have been improved or updated, it may be necessary to determine the revision history of the circuit boards being used in a computer system. Typically, a revised printed circuit board is painted with a color corresponding to a particular revision number that can be recognized when it is visually examined. Once the revision number of the printed circuit board is identified, any changes or additional features that have been incorporated into the circuit board can be ascertained by then referring to a record of the revision history corresponding to that revision number.
However, in a conventional computer system, in order to identify the revision number of a printed circuit board, it is often necessary to turn off the computer system and remove the appropriate panel for inspection. After identifying the revision number, it also may be necessary to utilize separate written records listing the changes and features associated with each revision number of the printed circuit board.
Therefore, in order to make identification of the revision number of a printed circuit board within a computer system more convenient, there is a need for a method of determining the circuit board revision history without visually inspecting the circuit board. There also is a need for a computer system that stores and conveniently reads out revision history data identifying the changes and/or additional features that have been incorporated into each revision number of the printed circuit board.